If Red Means No, Invert The Color

Chapter 5

3rd Person POV

Kieran sat on the steps in front of his apartment complex.  His mother had gone out for the night, she claimed it was "work" but Kieran had a scary feeling it was not. His mother's job barely got the bills paid. And lately she's been paying for all kinds of things, he didn't understand how. He chose to ignore the way her eyes were red every night when she got home, and how her lipstick was always smeared and her clothes untidy. He chose to ignore the bruises he would sometimes see on her body. He had his suspicions, but he chose to ignore them. He was not ready to accept the fact of what his mother had become. He wasn't ready to. He's seen the pills in her purse, he's seen the bruises on her neck, he's seen the wads of cash she comes home with. But he simply just ignored it.

He left a note on the dining room table saying he'd be out late. He knew she wouldn't care. But he secretly wish she still would. Ever since his father went away and his sister lost her head, he couldn't help but feel like he lost his mother too. But, that was something he had to deal with.

He looked down at his phone. Everest should be there soon, he thought to himself as he watched the road intently. He had no idea why Everest was coming to get him, but he couldn't help but feel excited. He actually enjoyed his company. He wasn't like the other people he hung out with. He was actually nice. Stubborn, but nice. He didn't mind looking at him either. Ever bit of his appearance was absolutely perfect. His eyes especially. And those lips...

Kieran knew he was gay from a young age, there was no use denying it. He could remember the first crush he had: They boy's name was James, and they were in the first grade. James was taller than Kieran by a small bit, which was difficult seeing as Kieran was quite tall and lanky, and had been his whole life. He had red hair, a face full of freckles, and blue eyes. It was the first day of first grade, and no one wanted to sit by Kieran at lunch that day, so he sat by himself. About 10 minutes into lunch, James sat by him, took out his sandwich, and began eating, not saying a word the whole time. James joined him for recess that day too, and then sat by him on the bus. And that was when it all began.

When Kieran had came home from school that day, his father asked him if he made any friends, and Kieran told him yes; that he was a boy named James, and that he was cute. That was the first and only time his father hit him, after that he feared talking to James, so they drifted apart. When his father was deployed, Kieran began to isolate himself from his classmates, siting alone at lunch, at every bell, even at recess he sat on the swings alone. But, this didn't last long, because James noticed. It had been awhile sense they had actually talked, they were in their later years of grade school.

James and Kieran sat together everyday, they would play together after school almost everyday as well. When Kieran's father came back, and things had changed, Kieran clung to James even more. One day, when Kieran was about 14, James did something that broke Kieran's soul even more; it demolished it:

The two boys sat on Kieran's roof like they normally would on Friday nights before James would make the ten minute walk home. But this night was different. There were a million visible stars in the sky, and tears streaming down Kieran's face. His sister had just been put into the facility that day, and Kieran was devastated. He was in James's arms, sobbing quietly. James held him close, and patted his back softly.

"It'll be okay" he whispered as Kieran looked up at him.

Kieran's brain was mute at this moment, his whole world seemed to be moving in slow motion and his emotions were swelling up inside him like a water pipe, he felt like he may explode at any second. The only thing keeping him from it were James's eyes, and their oceanic gleam. Then, Kieran did something neither of the boys expected; he kissed him. It was fast, but it felt like it lasted years to Kieran, and that was when he knew he liked boys. Unfortunately, James didn't feel the same way.